Cheri Oteri is opening up about her breast cancer diagnosis and the advice that encouraged her to get a second opinion.
The 63-year-old Saturday Night Live alum told People that an annual mammogram caught abnormalities earlier this year, leading to a stage 0 ductal carcinoma in situ diagnosis. With no family history of the disease, the news caught her off guard.
“I was so shocked,” she said. “When you don’t have it in your family, it feels far away.”
Related story
Busy Philipps Almost Didn’t Get the Scan That Saved Her Life — She Says One Person Changed Her Mind
Why Getting a Second Opinion Matters
Initially, her primary care doctor and plastic surgeon suggested a full mastectomy.
The recommendation didn’t sit right with her. “I lost it,” Oteri said. “I said, ‘I’m not even at stage 1. What are you talking about?’”
Unsure of how to push back, Oteri called her close friend, Camryn Manheim. Having grown up viewing doctors as unquestionable authorities, Oteri hesitated to challenge them, but Manheim urged her to get another perspective.
“Growing up the way I did, doctors were gods,” she said. “But Camryn is Miss Second Opinion.”
Manheim connected her with Los Angeles gynecologist Dr. Sherry Ross, who advised Oteri to pause before making decisions until they gathered all her test results. That led her to Dr. Janie Grumley at St. John’s Cancer Institute, who confirmed she only needed a lumpectomy followed by radiation — saving her from a major surgery she didn’t need.
Trusting Her Instincts
Oteri had surgery in April, followed by a second procedure in May to ensure all remaining cancer cells were removed. On August 4, she rang the bell to mark the end of her 20th and final radiation session.
While a cancer diagnosis is undoubtedly scary, Oteri was surprised by her own calm reaction to the situation.
“I have a peace about this,” she said. “[Usually] I’m always up to panic. And of all the times, this would be the time to break down, but I didn’t. No one’s more shocked than me! It was like, ‘Okay, what do I have to do? Boom, boom, boom.’ I grew up with this fear in me, almost like a protective thing, so I loved how I went through this.”
She also went to her radiation appointments alone.
“I do so much by myself anyway. I didn’t even think to bring somebody along. I wasn’t scared,” she added.
Looking back on her recovery, the actress hopes her experience serves as a clear reminder for women to advocate for their health.
“The huge lesson I learned: Trust your gut. Get a second opinion,” Oteri said. “And, ladies, get your mammograms — don’t you skip a year!”
